The Troupe

Eric Cho

Eric Cho is a graduate and former Program Coordinator of the CIIS Drama Therapy Program and holds an MA in Counseling Psychology. He was first bitten by the Playback bug as a member of Living Arts Playback Theatre Ensemble based out of Oakland, CA. A couple of years after moving to Seattle, he was delighted to join Playback Theater Northwest in 2007. In addition to over 15 years of experience acting and directing, Eric has been working in the field of mental health for over 10 years and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in WA state. He has also led numerous drama therapy groups and workshops and is thrilled to be able to provide Playback’s unique acts of service honoring people’s stories.

Harold Costa, Jr

Harold Costa, Jr. joined Playback Theater Northwest in 1994 and reformed the entire troupe in 1996. He became the President and Co-Artistic Director until he stepped down in Jan of 2005 pursuing his spiritual direction as a Practitioner at the Center for Spiritual Living. He returned as the President in 2009. He was born and raised in Hawaii and is a graduate of the University of Washington in Business Administration. He has been involved with theater since 1975 and his acting credits include many stage plays, movies and TV extra roles for Paramount, Warner Brothers, FOX and NBC. He now lives close to Ballard and is known for his warm heart and Polynesian smile and is grateful to have two incredible children, Daniel & Grace.

Janice Eng

Janice Eng attended a Playback Theater performance and immediately saw its power, not only to entertain, it has tremendous capacity for healing and community-building. Intrigued with the form, she tried out and joined the troupe in 2010. Although she has no formal theater experience, her mother often marveled how she could spin a good story when she would sneak in after curfew. Janice has been in the holistic healing field for over thirty years as a massage therapist, energy worker, and as a counselor, working with issues of self esteem, empowerment, and in relationships.  She is a founding member of the Freedom Project, an organization which provides trainings in nonviolence and mindfulness for Washington State prisons and also works with people coming out of prison.  She teaches Nonviolent Communication (Compassionate Communication), in the community as well.

Dora Lanier

Dora Lanier is a Seattle-based actor, teaching artist and director with over 15 years of experience in the field of theatre. Dora began her journey with Playback Theatre Northwest in February 2007. An active improv artist, Dora has “played” along with It’s a Mystery on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train, Capital City Mystery Players in Austin, Texas and the Gender Bender Project in Madison, Wisconsin. Other current improv projects include working with various health professionals, lawyers, police officers and State of Washington social workers in improvisational role-plays for training purposes. A native of Tomah, Wisconsin, Dora received her M.F.A. in acting, voice and movement from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Kestrel Rundle

Kestrel Rundle is a native of the beautiful Methow Valley in central Washington, where she first studied theatre, dance, voice and piano. She moved to Seattle in 2009, after receiving her BA in English Literature from Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY, where she studied playback theatre with Hannah Fox. Kestrel has performed leading roles in numerous plays and musicals, but her favorites include Guys and Dolls, Carousel, Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, Bernstein’s Candide, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and Julius Caesar, and Steel Magnolias. Kestrel is thrilled to once again hear and perform stories as a member of Playback Theater Northwest!

Ruth Yeo

Ruth Yeo finds that her love for story goes back to the people who tell them. She is blessed to have heard, and shared in, many incredible stories throughout her years growing up in Singapore and South Africa. In 2009, she moved to Seattle from Boston upon the completion of her MA in Expressive Arts Therapy and Mental Health Counseling. She believes in the importance of storytelling, and the power of the arts in all its forms, for building connections through a shared witnessing of stories and human experience. Past projects include developing and directing an original performance in South Africa to promote inter generational understanding. She is delighted to continue to honor stories, and the people who share them, as a member of Playback Theater Northwest!

“Change the name and it’s about you, that story” – Horace

Dan Zertuche

Dan Zertuche holds a BA from Central Washington University in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in performance. He has been acting and directing for five years, and has been involved with interactive theatre for about three. After discovering his true passion for improvisation, he co-founded CWU’s High Impact Improv Troupe. Since then, he has read almost every book on improv comedy ever written…by humans anyway. Dan joined Playback Theater Northwest in 2007.